By Amanda Lee


Apple will invest more than $250 million to expand a regional hub in Singapore to support growth and new undertakings in artificial intelligence, as the U.S. tech giant seeks to diversify its footprint in Asia and cut exposure to China.

The company said late Wednesday that it would begin construction later this year to expand its existing campus in the Southeast Asian city-state, including the upgrading of two buildings acquired in 2022, in support of its local workforce of more than 3,600 employees.

The company added that the expanded campus will run completely on renewable energy, as with all of its facilities since 2018.

Apple opened its first facility in Singapore in 1981. The Singapore campus today serves as a center for its operations in the region and a hub for personnel involved in software, hardware, services and support.

Cupertino, California-based Apple is in the midst of boosting investment in Southeast Asia and other areas of Asia as it seeks to diversify its supply chain amid rising U.S.-China tensions and global concerns of decoupling trade. The bulk of Apple's production currently takes place in China.

The company this week said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, while Chief Executive Tim Cook, on a trip to the region, said Wednesday that the company would consider investing in manufacturing in Indonesia. In December, Apple said it would raise iPhone production in India, a move that could boost the South Asian nation's share to a quarter of global production in the coming years.


Write to Amanda Lee at amanda.lee@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-18-24 0102ET